The indie rock group hailing from Oxford, England, “Foals” proves yet again that rock and roll is here to stay. The group, which was formed in 2005, recently released their sixth studio album, titled “Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost – Part 2,” on Oct. 18. This album was a continuation of its counterpart “Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost – Part 1,” which was released in early March of this year. Receiving a 79/100 on Metacritic, it would be understandable for someone to overlook this album and its significance, but it is the underlying meaning and new directions that really take this album and make it something worth listening to.
Introducing a new sound is not an easy feat, and it is especially difficult when you lose a founding member of a band as Foals did when bassist and founding member Walter Gervers amicably left the group in 2018. The Part 1 and Part 2 of the “Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost” album proved that despite loss, growth can happen, going along with the theme of the LP.
Everything from the cover art of the album, which features a vibrant array of flowers surrounding the headstones in a graveyard, to the names of the songs, like “Wash Off,” “Dreaming Of” and “Into the Surf,” suggest a surreal movement to a new life. This theme is something that Foals fans, and fans of rock for that matter, have been seeing for a while as the rock scene has evolved drastically over the past decade, with mixed reviews, similar to the album. The singles “Black Bull,” “The Runner” and “Into the Surf,” which were released prior to the album for promotional purposes, were met with extremely positive critical reviews, as the heavy hitting rock anthems seemed to call back to another era while commenting on the political turmoil of the present day.
Despite the initial excitement generated by the three singles, the rest of the album had to live up to them, and in some cases struggled to do so. Fans may not have been expected the continued heavier themes associated with Foals, especially in conjunction with the released singles. Moving in with some of the more pop-style songs like “Wash Off” or the 10-minute track, “Neptune,” that has a more distinctly rich, emotionally driven sound, Foals took a turn that was not entirely expected.
Overall, the album presents itself as a piece of both social and political commentary and while it was effective in creating that narrative, it failed to meet some of the expectations fans and critics alike held. However, ignoring the predictions and expectations of a heavy hitting rock-ballad album, Foals was able to create an equally compelling and well crafted album, one that should keep fans and indie rock fans excited for what is to come.
Image from Foals via YouTube
